Eugene weekly., July 03, 2003, Page 10, Image 10

Crying Shame II
Continuing the convoluted tale of MLK
and Centennial Boulevard. ■ By Alan Pittman
T
The uproar over renaming
Centennial Boulevard to honor
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. featured
a riot of charges of racism,
classism, insensitivity and racial
demagoguery, dividing liberals
and conservatives amongst
themselves, and perhaps even
jeopardizing councilors’ political
futures. It wasn’t what the slain
civil rights leader dreamed of, but,
in the end, the blood-letting turned
out to be more about Eugene than
King.
Last week, EW published the first
part of “Crying Shame,” on how
the idea to rename Centennial
originated with the NAACP and
headed for a train wreck in the
Eugene City Council. In Part II this
week, the council flip-flops amid
waves of backlash. Both parts of
this story can be read together at
www.eugeneweekly.com
10 JULY 3, 2003
he Centennial renaming train collided with the
Eugene City Council on June 9. Councilor Gary
Papé moved to form a committee including the
NAACP and other community members to study
renaming Centennial and all other options and
report back to the council this fall.
Papé said Springfield should have been more involved in the
process and it should have included a broad citizen committee
looking at all options.
Councilor Bonny Bettman said the council should vote now
to rename Centennial because the “minimal” inconvenience and
cost to business was superceded by the “best interests of the
city.” She quoted King stating how he was “greatly disap-
pointed” with white moderates who could be worse than out-
right racists. Such a moderate “constantly advises the Negro to
wait for a more convenient season” before pushing for change,
King said. “Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering
than outright rejection,” Bettman quoted King to applause from
renaming supporters.
Bettman said she was “flabbergasted” that the opposition of
a few inconvenienced businesses would be enough to prevent
the renaming. She said any street renaming would have some
opposition. Streets like Beltline without addresses aren’t as
meaningful, she said. “There’re lots of cars, but nobody lives
there,” Bettman said. “Where is the honor in naming a street that
nobody cares about?”
Councilor Betty Taylor said the council should not dismiss
the importance of the name “Centennial” in celebrating state his-
tory. “I don’t think the street belongs to any particular group,”
she said. It should be renamed only after an inclusive process. “It
may end up that [renaming] is what will happen, but it needs to
include the whole community.”
Councilor George Poling also faulted the renaming process
for not including the broader community and said his con-
stituents were “overwhelmingly” opposed.
Councilor David Kelly said the renaming would send an im-
portant message to people of color. The renaming “is not about
concrete, it’s about respect.”
Councilor Scott Meisner said he had worked for civil rights
but had problems with the renaming. “We need to do more than
just name a street,” he said. The city should create an effective
memorial, “not just put up a street sign that people may or may
not pay attention to.”
Councilor Nancy Nathanson said the council shouldn’t have
a divisive vote to honor King. A split vote for renaming would be
interpreted as “just as racist” as a “no” vote, she said. “This is
such a complicated issue,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking for me as
a councilor.”
Councilor Jennifer Solomon said she and all the people she
had talked to would like to see a better memorial to King than re-
naming Centennial. She said she was “baffled at how this has be-
come a Centennial-or-nothing debate.”
“I don’t accept Eugene as being the most prejudiced” city,
Mayor Jim Torrey said. But Torrey said the council should take
the recommendation of the African-American community and
rename the street now. “It is time to move forward.”
Kelly said the city should not “draw out the agony” with a
committee.
The committee proposal “is really a slap in the face to the
African-American community,” Bettman said.
The council voted 6-2 to delay the renaming until a broad
committee could report back on Centennial and other options in
September. Kelly and Bettman voted to rename Centennial now
and Nathanson, Taylor, Papé, Poling, Meisner and Solomon
voted to wait for the committee.
The crowd of supporters in the council chamber erupted in
loud boos and chants of “shame, shame, shame!”
The next day, NAACP leaders announced that they were so
angered by the council that they would refuse to serve on the
proposed committee.
Some county commissioners also threatened to boycott the
city renaming committee. “I found the council’s action offensive
and disheartening,” Commissioner Dwyer said.
A Register-Guard editorial accused the “clueless” council of
“a profound wounding and alienating of the black community.”
Backlash
Hearing of the backlash, Mayor Jim Torrey called a leading
opponent, Bob Mylenek of the Mercedes dealership on
Centennial to ask him to withdraw his opposition. Torrey urged
Mylenek to contact councilors and tell them he had changed his
mind, according to Councilor Papé. Torrey told Mylenek “his
stance was going to hurt his business,” Papé said. Torrey also
warned Mylenek that “Nancy [Nathanson] had a lot to lose with
regards to her potential candidacy for mayor,” Papé said.
Torrey said he did contact Mylenek to talk about the impact
of his opposition on the community, the UO and others. He said
he also contacted Nathanson to urge her to reconsider her vote.
The next day, June 11, Nathanson moved to reconsider the
vote against immediately renaming Centennial.
Meisner said he would vote for renaming Centennial.
Meisner said he had hoped that the committee could build com-
munity understanding. But given the NAACP boycott, “That’s
clearly impossible and I don’t think the committee can accom-
plish anything,” he said. “There is no willingness to work to-
ward building community.”
Nathanson faulted the R-G and television news for incor-
rectly reporting that the council had voted against renaming
Centennial rather than delaying the decision to study Centennial
along with other options. “The media did not report it correctly.
Some of the media were reporting Centennial was not going to
be renamed but that [street] was going to be included as one of
the options.”
Nathanson said if the committee was not possible, she would
vote to rename Centennial now as the best available option. “It’s
still important to recognize the legacy of Dr. King.”
Meisner and Nathanson provided the key votes to bring the
issue back before the council on a 5-3 vote with Poling, Papé and
Taylor remaining in opposition.
Papé charged that proponents had somehow fooled him into
thinking that there was a broad committee at the outset looking
at other options. “We were misled to believe there was a com-
mittee process to be run by a county commissioner and that did-
n’t happen,” he said.
Papé said he “was really disappointed by some of the com-
ments we had at the public hearing. I think we all in this room
want to honor Dr. King,” he said. “I think it’s its own unique
form of bigotry to say we know how to honor Dr. King better
than you. I think that is what is happening here rather than what
I think Dr. King would want, which is a communal recognition.”
Solomon said, “I’m very upset that this has become a litmus
test as to whether or not we’re racist. I think it is a very cowardly
strategy, and it has generated far more ill will than good will in
our community. We have always wanted to do something for
MLK around this table, it’s just a question of what.”
“Part of that community is unwilling to come to the table and
be a part of what’s in the best interests of the community,”
Solomon said. “If that’s the best they can do, if that’s what they
want, if they think this is honorable, then I am willing to vote for
renaming Centennial.”
Bettman said no one said there was a committee looking at
options at the outset. As for looking at more and more alterna-